01 June 2018•Update: 01 June 2018
By Nour Abu Aisha
GAZA CITY
Palestinians on Friday gathered along the Gaza-Israel security fence -- for the 10th consecutive Friday -- to take part in ongoing rallies against Israel’s decades-long occupation.
Gaza’s National Authority for Breaking the Siege, which is organizing the rallies, dubbed Friday’s demonstration “From Gaza to Haifa: Unity of Blood and Shared Destiny”.
“We also urge Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem -- and inside Israel -- to rise up against the occupation,” the authority said in a statement.
In Israel's northern city of Haifa, meanwhile, Palestinian activists said they, too, planned to hold demonstrations in solidarity with their compatriots in blockaded Gaza.
For the first time last Friday, a parallel demonstration was held in Haifa to condemn ongoing Israeli violence against unarmed Gazan demonstrators.
Israeli police forcibly dispersed the Haifa demonstration, arresting 19 protesters -- including one whose leg was allegedly broken later while he was in police custody.
“To our people [in Gaza] from the territories occupied by Israel in 1948: let’s act together to defend our legitimate rights,” Palestinian activist Amani Mushtahi declared in a video message broadcast from Haifa.
Activist Ayman Ali, for his part, tweeted: “We must take part in the Gaza-to-Haifa rally for the sake of our martyrs, injured and imprisoned.”
Since Mar. 30, at least 118 Palestinian demonstrators have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli army gunfire near the Gaza-Israel security fence.
